Sorry for the delay posting block 6 this month. I’ve been vacationing for the last 2 1/2 weeks, but now I’m finally back home and excited to get sewing again!
I’ve always loved this block and I’ve made it in a few different sizes, but never in a 12 inch block and not using paper piecing. I figured it wouldn’t be hard to write a pattern in the size I wanted, so I gave it a try and was not happy with the results. The measurements were odd sizes and the instructions difficult to follow. So, I tried it again and it turned out better, but it still wasn’t quit right. What I finally ended up doing was using a pattern that is written for a larger quilt block and cutting it down to the right size. With this method, there is a little more fabric wasted than I would like, but the results were much better than the previous two tries. I’m sure you would agree if you went through the process with me!
Fabric Requirements
Fabric 1 – Background – Cut 1 – 8 1/4 in. square and Cut 4 – 2 3/8 x 7 7/8 in. rectangles
Fabric 2 – Pinwheel – Cut 1 – 8 1/4 in. square
Fabric 3 – Pinwheel - Cut 4 – 6 x 7 7/8 in. rectangles
Step 1
Cut the Fabric 1 and Fabric 2 squares in half diagonally each way creating 4 triangles.
Step 2
Take a Fabric 1 triangle and a Fabric 2 triangle. Lay them right sides together and sew together to form one large triangle. Repeat to form 3 more triangle units.
Press towards the darker fabric.
Step 3
Using the Fabric 1 rectangle and the Fabric 3 rectangle, sew right sides together to make one large square. Repeat 3 more times.
Press towards darker fabric.
Step 4
Lay a ruler across the square from bottom left to top right and cut into two triangles. Discard the bottom triangle (or save for another project).
Step 5
(Forgot to take a picture without the ruler here. Sorry!) Sew triangle units together to make a square unit.
Step 6
Trim block to 6 1/2 in. making sure the seam from the triangle unit is in the center of the block. If you don’t have a 6 1/2 in. ruler. Press diagonally each direction to find your center point and use that as your cutting guide.
Step 7
Sew together the top row then the bottom row. Press the center seam for each row the same direction. Then when you flip the 2nd row upside down the seams will nest together for better accuracy in seam matching. Pin well and sew rows together. Press.
Make one more Flying Kite block and you are finished!
Again, this method is not the most economical, but is the easiest and most accurate method I found. I love the way it turned out!
Stormy
This block looks very intimidating, but your instructions are very clear and looks easy to do. I, too, had rather make something larger and trim it down than to make something too small and have to make it over. Thanks for all you do. I am really loving this quilt.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joyce! I try to pick blocks that look a little more difficult, but are still easy to piece together. I'm so glad you are enjoying this quilt!
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